Finished The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is the first book in her young adult trilogy.

In this one, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen lives in a postapocalyptic version of the United States — one where once a year, 24 children are trained as gladiators, thrown into a harsh environment, and forced to kill each other in a televised event called the Hunger Games. When Katniss’ younger sister Prim is picked for the Games, Katniss volunteers to take her place instead. Going with her is Peeta, the son of a local baker. Katniss likes Peeta, but she knows that she can’t let herself get too close to him, since she’ll have to kill him in the end if she has any chance of winning the Games and returning home alive …

I absolutely loved this book. Seriously. This is one of the best books I’ve read all year long. It was that good.

Let’s start with Katniss, who is such a great character. Kat lives in a coal-mining region that’s similar to Appalachia. (Being from the Appalachian region myself, I can relate). She’s pretty much been taking care of her mother and younger sister Prim since her father died. Kat hunts, fishes, gathers berries, and does whatever she has to in order to survive — all skills that come in handy during the Games. But she’s also vulnerable too, especially when it comes to Peeta and whether she thinks she can actually kill him if it comes down to that. Kat’s voice is what really makes the book.

Then, there’s the story. Yeah, it reminded me of the movie Gladiator. But it’s so well-written, and Collins really makes the story her own, as Kat has to face everything from fire to mutated creatures during the games. Beyond the entertainment value, there’s a lot of things in the story to think about — the impact of pop culture on society, what real beauty is or isn’t, what true humanity is, etc.

If you haven’t read this one, do yourself a favor and go buy it or request it from your local library. You’ll be glad you did. Big thumbs up.

Up next: The Rustler by Linda Lael Miller.

Books in my TBR pile: About 14.